Eric Cantor

When all else fails, try breaking bread together. As the White House and congressional Republicans continue on a seemingly endless loop of political partisanship, Vice President Joe Biden has invited Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the House Majority Leader, to dinner this evening. The two seemed to hit it off earlier this year, an odd couple of sorts as they holed up in negotiations on a bipartisan deficit-reduction proposal. But Cantor abruptly bolted from those talks and it became clear compromise was not to be found.

Even after he called for comity, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor couldn't help but take a swipe at President Obama's characterization of America as having gone "soft" in recent years when it comes to being on the cutting edge of global innovation and economic competition. Obama's comments came last week during an interview on WESH-TV , the NBC affiliate in Orlando, Fla., as he made the case for investment in science and infrastructure, and revamping the education system to enable young people to better compete in the fast-changing global environment.

House Majority LeaderEric Cantor has canceled a speech at the University of Pennsylvania out of concern that protesters would fill the seats. Cantor was scheduled to speak on income inequity at a lecture hosted by the Wharton business school. The Virginia Republican's office said he called off the speech after learning that protesters planned to rally outside and attendance would not be limited to students and others affiliated with the school. “The Office of the Majority Leader was informed last night by Capitol Police that the University of Pennsylvania was unable to ensure that the attendance policy previously agreed to could be met,” said spokesman Brad Dayspring.

As FEMA's budget is under new strain in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, a top House Republican maintained that any new funds allocated for federal disaster relief must be offset by budget cuts elsewhere. Speaking on Fox News Channel, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said a natural disaster like Hurricane Irene is an "appropriate instance" for a federal role, but that the government can't go deeper into debt to pay for unexpected outlays. "We will find the money if there is a need for additional monies," he said.

WASHINGTON -- Funding for President Obama's healthcare law will be stripped from legislation to keep the government running for the remainder of the fiscal year, a House GOP leader said Tuesday, setting up a showdown with Senate Democrats and the White House that could risk a government shutdown. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the majority leader, said he expected the spending bill the House intended to approve next week will be amended to prohibit funds for the healthcare overhaul, the signature achievement of the president and congressional Democrats.

The federal government's approach to emergency relief has long been to open its checkbook and pay whatever it took to get communities back on their feet. Agencies had budgets for disaster response, but nature defied prediction; overruns were the rule, not the exception. After Hurricane Irene flooded large swathes of the Northeast, however, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) declared that the era of the open checkbook was over. Instead of borrowing from the future to pay for repairs, Cantor said, Congress must offset any new relief spending with cuts in other programs.

President Obama will host House Republican leaders for lunch on Wednesday, one week before the White House releases its budget recommendations that will frame the partisan debate in Washington. Obama's invitation to House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy comes days after a previously unannounced lunch between the president and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last Friday. "The president will have a chance to talk through with them many of the things that he outlined in the State of the Union.

WASHINGTON - As the new Congress began this year, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia sought to redefine the Republican Party as focused on "making life work" for ordinary Americans. Surveys showed that the public had tired of the party of "no" as House Republicans fought President Obama. The party lost its opportunity to win the White House or take control of the Senate last fall, and saw its House majority shrink. Cantor's approach echoed the "compassionate conservatism" of an earlier Republican era. In a speech at the American Enterprise Institute, he said the House majority would "pursue an agenda based on a shared vision of creating the conditions for health, happiness and prosperity for more Americans and their families.

To shore up Social Security, Republican Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin proposes that younger workers be allowed to put part of their contribution in personal investment accounts. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) wants the U.S. to take a harder line on Iran, backing up diplomacy with the threat of force. And Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield wants to develop a cadre of GOP candidates who would come to Washington to change it — not become part of it. The lawmakers are battling for the soul of the Republican Party.

White House-led deficit reduction talks unraveled Thursday as a top Republican pulled out, putting pressure on President Obama to help resolve an impasse over the key issue holding up a deal: whether to allow new revenue by ending certain tax breaks. The abrupt departure by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the majority leader and negotiator for House Republicans, shows just how toxic new taxes are to the GOP — even if the revenue is generated by closing loopholes on corporations or wealthy individuals, as Democrats propose.